Trump says he’ll accept midterm results, with a caveat

President Trump was asked Tuesday if he will accept the midterm election results, which could mean a tough night for the GOP, “whatever happens.” Trump’s reply came with a caveat made all the more ominous by his past conduct: “I will, if they are honest elections, yeah.”

Trump’s latest hedging over an election came in a threatening context. He’s spent much of this year trying to skew the midterms in the GOP’s favor by pushing a midterm gerrymandering effort in Texas and other states and by unsuccessfully demanding Congress pass a voter registration and ID law that critics say would disenfranchise millions of citizens. And he recently ordered the Justice Department to sue to block certification of Alaska’s US Senate election if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses, even though the Constitution grants a president no power to administer elections.

0:00 What Trump said when asked if he'll accept election results
0:36 David Becker, founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, weighs in
3:32 VP Vance alleges fraud in Alaska Senate election, as DOJ sues to block results if Dems win
5:10 "NewsNight" panel debates Trump's statements